“I must report to the king about yesterday,” he then said. “Behave until I return.”
“I always behave.”
Maddox didn’t kiss me, but he looked like he wanted to as his gaze fell to my mouth. He smoothed his thumb over my bottom lip before pulling away and exiting the medical ward.
I brought a hand to my mouth and smiled. Damn him.
Briar passed him on his way out, and the two exchanged a polite nod. The physician’s eyes appeared guarded as he neared me. “Is all well with the captain?”
“Well, he thought my oatmeal was poisoned and didn’t want to eat it. But after a bite, he changed his tune. The omelet-turned-muffin sealed the deal. I bet he’ll come crawling back for more later.”
That seemed to lift Briar’s spirits—though I didn’t know why they’d been low to begin with. He’d seemed fine earlier. “Are you certain you’re not a wizard? Because I do believe you’ve enchanted us both.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came out. Was he flirting with me?
“Anyway, Thane finished with the tonics.” Briar dropped his attention to the tray of vials in his hands. His cheeks had some color, the blush noticeable on his pale skin. “Will you help me pass them out?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
We distributed the morning medicine, and once the men finished eating, we gathered the empty bowls. The morning was busy but not hectic. Briar discharged a few of the knights but wanted to keep others a bit longer for observation.
“I’m fine,” Quincy whined, being one of the ones told to stay.
“Says the one whose arm was nearly ripped off,” I said.
He exaggerated a sigh and slumped back to the cot.
A light knock came at the door midafternoon. A petite woman stood in the doorway to the medical wing. Another woman and a guy who looked a bit older than me stood behind her.
“Good afternoon,” she said. “We’re here to help any way we can.”
Briar used his middle finger to push his glasses back up his nose. “You are maids from the main castle?”
“Yes.” She bowed her head. “Captain Maddox informed King Eidolon about the emergent situation, and we were instructed to assist you right away. Laundry, supply runs, anything you need.”
“Excellent,” Briar told her with a smidgeon of relief in his voice. He hid it well, but the exertion was taking a toll on him. “If you wouldn’t mind changing the bedding, I’d greatly appreciate it.”
“Right away, sir.”
Maddox wasn’t nearly as grouchy and mean as I’d once thought. He had gone out of his way to request aid for us at the clinic. He had a kind heart beneath all that sneer.
The three of them changed the bedding on the cots and placed the dirty laundry in piles. I returned to the other room to wash out the pot I used to cook breakfast. It felt great to do something productive. Kept my hands busy while my mind wandered.
Thane grabbed a book from one of the shelves and sat it on the table with a lightthump. The thing was massive. He opened the front and skimmed the text before thumbing through a few pages. I saw illustrations of plants and descriptions. Briar asked him about a few of them, testing his knowledge.
He seemed like a strict, but fair, teacher. And definitely easy on the eyes.
Stop simping, I told myself.
While Thane continued his studies, Briar sat at his desk with a stack of documents and read them over.
My lips tingled at the memory of Maddox’s thumb tracing them. He had kissed me, but I wasn’t sure what he wanted. A fling? Hard sex with no attachments? He didn’t seem like the roses and sappy romance type.
I sighed.
“Are you okay?” Briar asked from his desk. As I looked at him, he smiled, and my stomach fluttered.
Yep. I’m crushing on him too.
